Despite a massive internationally funded interdiction effort, this year's poppy crop in Afghanistan is expected to be the largest ever, the Times of London reported Aug. 10.

"Afghanistan is facing another year of very high poppy cultivation, driven by continued high figures in the south and, to a lesser extent, the east," said Lord Malloch-Brown of Great Britain's Foreign Office, who oversees Afghanistan. "This second increase in as many years is extremely disappointing. Yet again, Helmand [province] looks likely to be the main driver of cultivation. Early indications suggest that cultivation will exceed last year's total."

Helmand province is home to 6,000 British troops, whose mission includes opium interdiction as well as fighting the Taleban.

British officials said the key to curbing opium cultivation is restoring security across Afghanistan. The U.K. and the U.S. have spent and will spend hundreds of millions of dollars fighting Afghanistan's drug trade, with little evidence of success.